On a speck of an island just off the south coast of Turkey an old shepherdess used to elevate the Greek flag every morning, plus now two Vietnamese brothers are the only bakers, attesting to the endurance of Hellenism plus its genius for absorption
The most remote of Greek islands, Kastellorizo lies just opposite the south coast of Asia Minor plus the Turkish town of Kas. The island may be a speck on the map with only 130 inhabitants, yet it is anything but the sleepy, provincial, neglected outpost that most guidebooks say it is.
We went for three days, but found it such a surprisingly vital, beautiful, even rambunctious place that we stayed a month, loving everything on what is locally known as the ‘Rock’.
The island’s only town is studded with greenery plus there is one tiny farming area in the hills above it, but for the most part Kastellorizo is brown, bare stone with not a tree in sight. Yet the island was once a rich plus bustling center of commerce, with as many as 15,000 inhabitants enjoying a grand style of life. Kastellorizan houses were built on a big scale, two-and three-storey mansions that contained large rooms, fine woodwork, luxurious furniture, plus artifacts gathered from the far corners of the Mediterranean.
Known as Megisti in those days – it was the Italians during their occupation of the island who gave it its moderen name, which translates as Red Castle -the island had numerous churches plus monasteries, many excellent schools plus active fraternal organizations. The islanders’ affluence was based on their holdings on the mainland. Until the exchange of population in 1922 the entire Lycian coast was inhabited by Greeks. They criss-crossed between the mainland plus the island in their sail-boats plus fishing craft, doing a vast business in citrus fruit, vegetables, seafood plus sponges.
Not only were the Kastellorizans successful sailors plus traders, but they were learned, even a cultured bunch, who saw to it that their children became educated. This earned them the reputation of being ‘The Jews of the Aegean’.